Martinsburg gazette. (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1886-1887, 1887-01-07
HERB CATERERS.
HOW SOME NORTH CAROLINA
PEOPLE MAKE A BIvING.
Collecting Medicinal Plants, Roots,
Banks and Berries-The Lar
gest Herb Collecting House
in the World. Etc.


In letter describing the industrial
growth Of Statesville, N. C., CORE
spondent III the New York Commercial
Adxe,ssxr says Besides The many stores
carrying considerable stocks, there arc
Ave tobac 20 factories Id operation and
one under construction, three tobacco
warehouses, two tanneries, spoke and
shuttle block factory, and two large es-
Establishments for the collection of med
icinal herbs, roots, barks, gums and
berries. One Of these, the largest house
Of the kind in the world, does business
of 500, 900 annually il these goods, Of
which it handles more than 2, 900 varie-
ties, weighing upward Of 1000, 090
pounds This concern began business
in a small way In 1850, but was broken
up by the war. Coon after it ended the
firm of Wal ace Brothers was formed and
the business resumed. At first they
dealt in few articles except gensing, but
after awhile they added to their variety
such things as druggists called for until
their catalogue contained the names Of
nearly 2,1OO articles Professor Gray.
Of Cambridge, has said that there are more
medicinal plants in western North Caro-
lima than in any one place in North
America and the business of this firm
confirms his s. statement.
Thesystem employed is simple enough,
but it required executive alb lily of no
mean order to establish it and to keep it
in successful operation The Wallaces
were country merchants doing business
with people who had little or no money.
The little crossroad traders cameto them
for goods, and paid their bills with such
produce as they could get from their
customers. Ginseng was the most
marketable article. China never gets too
much of it, and has. when it was scarce,
given its weight in gold for it. Seneka
snake root was another equivalent for
ready cash. The Wallaces encouraged
their customers to get all Of these they
could. They in tsrn sold their stocks to
exporters and druggists and through the
acquaintance thus made they learned
what the trade would buy and at what
prices.
After time they concluded that if
they could secure the services of o thor
oughly capable botanist they could in
crease their business and consequent
profits. Them IN they wanted was living
It Marion. in Mcdowell county. Pro-
lessor M. E. Hyams was born in Charles
ton, South Carolina, received prepare
tory education there. and graduated at
she State University in Columbia. When
seventeen years Old he began his botani-
:al studies, which soon became his
ruling passion At the age Of twenty
i've he made the collection of botanical
specimens his business When the Wal
lace Brothers found and hired him he
knew more of the fora of Western
North Carolina than any one had ever
known before. His duties were
those Of an instructor. The women AMI
children in the mountains were taught
where to look for plants they had never
gathered before, when to pluck them,
and in what condition to deliver them at
the stores. The merchants who received
them were then instructed, and finally
tho heads of the firm and their chief EN-
ployes. It was long task; there were
collectors and stores in some thirty conn.
ties to be visited. Turing all that time
and for years afterMard the Professor ex-
plored the mountains in search Of new
botanical specimens. or Of fresh fields in
which the more valuable herbs grew.
While in one of these botanical quests
in 1873 the Professor found in Mcdowell
. County pri e. The discovery Of a-matc
to the Kohinoor would not have elated
him so highly. It was the shortia galu-
cifolia rare plant once found and de-
scribed, then lost to botanists for seven
ty-five years. He could scarcely believe
his eyes, but there it was beyond mis-
take. So carefully gathering few speci-
mems from the very small number that
grew there, and noting well the surround
ings that he might find it again, tLAPro-
frssnr left the rrildcrnass and mt hin, Z II